spandit Posted October 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 If I were you, I would really consider getting a mentor and going out shooting with someone experienced, competent and of mature age, thats even before you even handle a firearm I would also familiarize yourself and get to know 1 the law 2 the safe areas of shooting 3 Highly recommend that you Join a shooting club and gain some practical experience Thank you for your concern and please be comforted by the fact that I do have friends with firearms who I shoot with and who give me a lot of practical advice. Regarding finding a mentor, I think if you read some of my other posts, you will see the difficulty therein. 1. I think it's fairly clear from reading this thread that nobody is quite sure whether the law would enable me to shoot over a road and as I hope I implied in my original post, it was idle speculation, not a plan of action. 2. My question wasn't about whether it was safe, more of whether it was legal. Shooting down from a high position is often safer than other options and had the road not been in existence, I would be confident that shooting from there was perfectly safe 3. I don't know where in the country you are so can't ask for your recommendation of a local club but I'm not a wet behind the ears teenager. I do have some experience of firearms, including in the military, which is presumably why I have been granted a full bore rifle on my first application. I'm fairly new to live quarry shooting but not scared of asking questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Go for it, just camouflage the barrel to look like a chair leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Cheers Dadioles - I'll buy the first pint ! With respect to shooting over a road - I agree its not clear in law. However if you take the view that, when the projectile passes beyond land over which you have legal right to shoot, you should not shoot, then that seems good sense. This is irrespective of whether the bullet returns to land over which you have a legal right to shoot, simply because it passes beyond your 'control' and any other influence could cause the bullet to do harm. Most on here know where their bullet ends up before they fire and so it should be. So if you fire over a road it may or may not be legal but it is certainly unwise and that should be enough to prevent a shot being taken. A final thought for Spandit and the comments made about his question. Better to ask and get a sensible answer than believe you know, isnt that why PW exists? There was a day when everyone on here had no experience and asked someone - I hope we all didnt get the sanctimonious **** that Spandit has had. Good luck Spandit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted October 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Good luck Spandit. Cheers, bud! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobt Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Now there is a thought, I have land either side of the A1, which is 50 foot below in a cutting, can I shoot over it? not that I would................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shotgun sam Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Is it a lane on the public register of streets? or is it a farm type access lane? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted October 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Now there is a thought, I have land either side of the A1, which is 50 foot below in a cutting, can I shoot over it? not that I would................. This is the question, not that it's advisable but as to whether it's legal. Is it a lane on the public register of streets? or is it a farm type access lane? It's a single carriageway public road. From further investigation since my initial daydream, it doesn't have the visibility I'd feel comfortable with and so I wouldn't shoot over it, but we've yet to see a definitive piece of legislation that would forbid if Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Funker Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 So as clearly demonstrated it wasn't a stupid question as no one here can answer it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobt Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 This is the question, not that it's advisable but as to whether it's legal. I would be well outside the 50 foot rule, vertically, we often game shoot standing on minor roads locally, the locals in cars either wait or drive round you, the mass of racing cycles however.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 the mass of racing cycles however.... Time they were added to the general licence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobt Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 one or two of the dogs think they are fair game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaquire Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 (edited) This is the question, not that it's advisable but as to whether it's legal. It's a single carriageway public road. From further investigation since my initial daydream, it doesn't have the visibility I'd feel comfortable with and so I wouldn't shoot over it, but we've yet to see a definitive piece of legislation that would forbid if My partner has studied law in France and in England and she says that the difficulty with our laws (when compared to others, such as French) is that they are written in such a way so that they can be interpreted by the individual. She says that the outcome of so many cases can be determined by the mood of the judge on that day. How many times have we seen that occur? Murderers given a 10 year sentence and out in 5 years for good behaviour. Put a good case forward as to what the average, reasonable person would do and it is possible the case may be granted in your favour. Edited October 16, 2013 by deaquire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remmyman Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Pigeon watch is renowned for its particular breed of poster, we have an unbalanced amount of the righteous, judgemental and given the chance they will belittle with great pleasure... Please dont be put off from asking future questions, you need a combine to filter the amount of wheat from the chaff around this place. Well said. Too many people jump in with a 'holier than thou attitude' before taking the time to enquire as regards 'background,experience etc' of the OP. I'm talking 'across the board' here, not just this thread. At first glance some questions appear to be ill-conceived as regards a public forum, but as can be seen in this example there is often far more than meets the eye behind them. Regards Remmyman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieT Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 As no one has pointed me to statute law that specifically shows that such an act is illegal, I am minded to believe that it is not a criminal offense. It most certainly is not mentioned in any firearms related law. At worst it would be a matter of civil trespass to land, which includes airspace. However, as the owner of the land does not own the airspace above a reasonable height, even that is questionable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted October 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 If I shot over the road and someone was affected by it, they could probably throw the book at me but otherwise, not sure how they'd find out anyway. There's a possibility over the nuisance laws but again, the firearms act covers roads when people are using them. I've asked a solicitor but it's not his field of law so doubt he'll have a definitive answer either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greymaster Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 If you are going to do it, make sure there are no loaders carrying giraffes to Longleat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadioles Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 As no one has pointed me to statute law that specifically shows that such an act is illegal, I am minded to believe that it is not a criminal offense. It most certainly is not mentioned in any firearms related law. At worst it would be a matter of civil trespass to land, which includes airspace. However, as the owner of the land does not own the airspace above a reasonable height, even that is questionable. I think that about sums it up. It would be a matter of civil trespass but I cannot imagine the County Council (or whoever "owns" the road) taking action against you because your shot passed through the air above their road, probably in the middle of nowhere. It is back to being careful and discrete and applying a bit of common sense. If you are not seen, there will not be a complaint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted October 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Seeing how inaccurate my .22 seems to be, unless the field opposite is overrun with rogue barn doors, I won't be shooting there, legally or otherwise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guest1957 Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 As no one has pointed me to statute law that specifically shows that such an act is illegal, I am minded to believe that it is not a criminal offense. It most certainly is not mentioned in any firearms related law. At worst it would be a matter of civil trespass to land, which includes airspace. However, as the owner of the land does not own the airspace above a reasonable height, even that is questionable. The only specific offence I can think off the top of my head would be if the shot were taken by air rifle in some circumstances. I haven't looked into this though. The flying projectile through the airspace would be constructive trespass, a civil matter as you point out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Funker Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 If you are going to do it, make sure there are no loaders carrying giraffes to Longleat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaquire Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Is there somewhere among the firearm guide lines that says all shots must be taken with due care and attention and common used at all times? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted October 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Is there somewhere among the firearm guide lines that says all shots must be taken with due care and attention and common used at all times? Thing is, this could be a very safe shot. From a high position into a clear backstop with no danger to passers by. It's whether this safe shot can travel over a public road that is the question. As my solicitor said, the police probably would take a dim view of it, irregardless of the law and it could lead to some costly court action should they remove my licence as a result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 As no one seems 100% sure of the answer, there can only be one definitive solution: DON'T GET CAUGHT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lincs1963 Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Pigeon watch is renowned for its particular breed of poster, we have an unbalanced amount of the righteous, judgemental and given the chance they will belittle with great pleasure... Please dont be put off from asking future questions, you need a combine to filter the amount of wheat from the chaff around this place. Well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe soapy Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 This tread is not very strong on facts. Most rural roads are owned by the adjoining landowner to the center of the road. As for "airspace", hmm. not sure about this, I feel free to shoot into it on my land, but cant stop planes trespassing through it. The land its self, I own it on the surface, but anything under neath it was retained by previous owner, so logicaly a projectile would trespass when it penetrated the surface? common sence says " cause a problem with a gun and you will get grief. be sensible and you will be ok. Local full bore range at max range shot over a farmyard and crossed the road 3 times before the butts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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